PNP prioritizes recruitment of SAF personnel

The Philippine National Police (PNP) is prioritizing the recruitment for the Special Action Force (SAF) as they target to fill up five battalions, Director Rene Aspera of the Directorate for Personnel and Records Management (DPRM) said Friday.

Aspera said they are concentrating on the recruitment for the elite unit of the PNP instead of the regular recruitment as President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the creation of additional five SAF battalions to counter terrorism and battle communist rebels.

"Punuin muna natin 'yung SAF kasi nag-pronounce siya to recruit five battalions for SAF. Now, ongoing pa rin ang SAF [recruitment] natin. That's why naaantala 'yung ating regular recruitment of 10,000 PO1s (Police Officer 1)," he said.

"Medyo pending pa 'yung sa regular recruitment natin. We will announce that once napuno na natin 'yung sa quota sa SAF," he added.

Around 1,400 recruits are currently undergoing training while 500 recruits, on the other hand, are still pending.

The additional battalions will bring in a total of 2,500 new SAF members, as each battalion is made up of 500 personnel.

Aspera said they will commence with the regular recruitment of 10,000 personnel once they fill up the five SAF battalions.

Meanwhile, at least 5,000 police recruits are needed yearly for the attrition recruitment program of the PNP. All in all, the PNP is projecting to recruit 10,000 Police Officers 1 to catch up with the police to population ratio of 1:500.

The PNP, however, has not yet reached the target of 1:500 ratio of cops per person but Aspera said they are projecting to meet it by 2020.

A total of 15 lawyers, two priests and one pastor have taken their oath and were appointed to the rank of Police Senior Inspector under the 2017 Lateral Entry Program of the PNP.

18 lawyers, priests and pastors were appointed to the rank of Police Senior Inspector. | via @marllybondoc pic.twitter.com/YPANZCn0C1

— GMA News (@gmanews) March 9, 2018

Ongoing: Oath-taking and donning of ranks for 18 technical officers @gmanews pic.twitter.com/5eVJiMZAVY

— Marlly Bondoc (@marllybondoc) March 9, 2018

"Nakikita natin na kulang pa rin 'yung mga lawyers natin in some units. Doon sa region, wala tayong mga lawyers pa. So in fact, itong additional 15 lawyers is not enough to fill up the quota na na-program natin for 2017 lateral entry program," Aspera said.

"We still have 16 pending with NAPOLCOM (National Police Commission) for technical service, lawyers, doctors kasi kulang pa tayo ng mga gano'n na mga technical officers," he added. —KG, GMA News